by Jackie Dale

With the onset of triple digit heat, I have shifted into my summer mode. This consists of getting up by 5:30 a.m. to get started on cat chores. Some groups of kittens go into playpens on the lawn to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Meanwhile I clean the pens inside and have them prepared for their return once it begins to get hot. Then I clean and prepare the outside playpens for the next day. I move on to cleaning the other cages, rooms and the catio. The outside accommodations are outfitted with overhead misters and misting fans. If the temperatures get too insane, I load the cats into carriers and bring them in during the worst part of the heat. To my critics who decry my keeping some cats in outdoor situations, I say “These cats were already living outdoors. Here with me they are fed and cared for, not living a marginal life on the streets. “I generally don’t feel the need to justify my actions but sometimes people just need clarification.

One reason they may be outdoors is if they have ringworm. Much easier to keep from spreading when the cats are sequestered. My four beauties with ringworm were looking amazing when we got a call from the Bay Area rescue that they now had room. We told them that the kittens were showing only a few glowing hairs. They told us that they do not discriminate on the basis of severity. So the kittens were delivered to the Bay Area and we took the opportunity to eat at a superb Chinese restaurant just around the corner.

The cat chores continued at a steady pace. I took the pregnant Siamese in to be fixed and the rescue put her on the list for the next transport. I fixed three of my larger kittens but no one is taking kittens right now. I did have one private adoption. It is so fun to see a family come and pick up their kitten. They get so excited. The young boy, who was visiting his grandma on his summer vacation told me, “She is going to be my cat, but she will be staying with my grandma.” Grandma was fine with that because her cat had recently passed on and she was looking for some feline companionship.

I had a small waiting list of people who had kittens they were looking to place somewhere. It is super rare for anyone to call me up and say they could foster for a couple of months or so. But it actually happened which meant three kittens were now on the path to a better life.

Two days later I see a post about a kitten that had been found in a box on a busy city sidewalk. As usual lot of advice… “do this” and “don’t do that” …but no one offering to take the kitten. So little Prince is currently raising cane at my house. He is an active little guy. Shortly thereafter he was joined by a slightly larger kitten. This fluffy guy was rescued by a guy who was so allergic that when he dropped him off, his face was red and swollen. The man and his wife had rescued the kitten from being killed by dogs and spent over $300 getting him vaccinated, dewormed, etc.

The first week of July was busy, I had some trapper vouchers so I fixed six cats for four different people. Two were trapped, and the other four were community cats. That morning I had to go pick up all these cats. Two of the people had to be rousted out of bed. I told them I was coming and when I get there, I really expect to leave a cat. I don’t like wasting my time or my appointments.

Then came three small kittens that had been abandoned at a local park. I cannot comprehend what goes through the minds of people who dump helpless animals, babies no less, to fend for themselves. This scenario could not be more perfectly illustrated than by an incident that recently occurred to a friend of mine. She was walking her dogs when she heard shouting followed by a loud “thud” from over an adjacent 10 foot wall. When my friend investigated, she discovered a plastic bag with four newborn kittens inside. In a frantic phone call to me, she related that the people shouting were speaking a language she was not familiar with, but she called them a few choice words that hopefully translate into any language. My friend was able to get the kittens into a local animal rescue who miraculously had an available foster. Another rarity, everyone is so full this time of the year. More people need to step out of their comfort zone and STEP UP! People always say, “someone do something!” And we answer back “You are someone! YOU do something.”

And I plodded on. I helped a friend fix three cats from a local church. I fixed a cat for a local family who rescued a stray. I took two cats, on two separate days, all the way to Fresno to be fixed. The young lady did not drive and had no money. I agreed to drive them and pay as well. I left it to her to make the appointments, and well, the appointments were made. They had to be kept.

The remaining nine cats from the guy who died are faring well. Some are coming around to the friendly side, and I am able to now pet several. That is when I discovered that the long-haired Siamese was severely matted. I took her to the groomer, and they did a great job shaving her. At the time I wasn’t even sure of the cat’s gender. I have named her Mona Lisa.

I visited an elderly lady that I have helped on numerous previous occasions to assess her cats. She has too many cats in her very tiny apartment. Two I will try to place as barn cats, one is friendly enough to be sent to rescue, once fixed. Her sister is not a candidate for rescue and will need other accommodations. Some of the cats are in cages that are just too small, and I was dismayed to learn how long they had been living like that. I will be doing my best to alleviate this problem for this lady. She actually called me a couple of days after my visit to say she had found a kitten outside in the parking lot. I took the little guy in. He is, thankfully, friendly and healthy.

With some of the donation money I receive, I frequently supply feeders with cat food when needed and sometimes even dog food for my friend who tirelessly feeds the strays she encounters. With nowhere for stray dogs to go, there are more dogs than ever needing food assistance.

DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS GREATLY APPRECIATED!! All these cats eat TONS of food. Donations also help maintain a fund to pay for people who don’t have the money to pay. If you would like to make a donation, I have a PayPal account jackiejoy@hotmail[dot]com You can also support the post office and send donations/supplies via good old snail mail to Jackie Dale P O Box 1859, Reedley, CA 93654. Thank You!!

You can check out more animal rescue articles in KRL’s animal rescue section! Join our Pets Facebook group to help keep up with our pet articles.

Jackie Dale is a freelance writer who lives in Reedley with her husband of 27 years, Frank, and their 2 children. A former ballerina, Jackie now teaches yoga and fitness classes privately and at local area gyms in addition to her cat related duties.